Chapter 20
Chapter 20
T he drive home was silent, almost expectant. Piedmont drove, knowing instinctively it would not have gone over well if he’d shown up with a driver. He hadn’t driven in a while and was a little out of touch with the practicalities. He told himself that was why he didn’t talk to Paley on the way home, but it wasn’t true. The truth was that he was confused and a little bit concerned.
Their relationship was shifting. Did he want it to? Was he ready for that? Was she? The answer to that was a definite no. She had made it clear nothing could happen between them until her divorce was official. Her husband, who had initiated the process, was now dragging his heels, slowing it down and making it take forever, probably to punish her for his assumption that she and Piedmont were together. Even though he was with someone who was carrying his baby, someone he presumably wanted to marry, he would make the divorce take forever to cause Paley pain and aggravation. A prince among men was her ex.
And then there was the fact that she was his housekeeper. If they became more than that, could he keep paying her to work for him? That felt weird, but she was also the best housekeeper he’d had, and he didn’t want to lose that. Was it a sign of his own selfishness that he worried who would take care of him if Paley left his employment? Yes, but he couldn’t seem to help it. He hated the thought of breaking someone else in, of having someone else in his space. And she was good at it, excellent at arranging his life without being obvious about it. Like Acacia at work, she seemed to have a sixth sense about what he needed, often before he realized he needed it.
Thankfully the inertia imposed by her impending divorce bought them some time. He was certain they could come to a workable solution. In the meantime, he merely had to fend off his own temptation where she was concerned.
He caught a glimpse of her, her hair in a cute ponytail, her t-shirt still covered in dust from baseball. “You didn’t tell me you were sporty.” He poked her.
“I thought it was assumed,” she said, poking him in return.
“Why would it be assumed?” he asked, poking her again.
“Because I wear t-shirts and hoodies all the time and enjoy manual labor,” she said, poking him.
His mouth opened in a pucker of surprise. “You’re right, I should have figured that out.” She gave him a smile. “Stop lording it over me when I don’t know things. I’m not omniscient.”
“Nearly. 210. Geez.”
“Don’t be intimidated by me now because you know the number,” he said.
“Last week I saw you miss the bottom step because you were reading while walking down the stairs. I think we’re safe,” she said.
“I did that on purpose; it was an experiment,” he said.
“To test the strength of the banister you grabbed?” she asked.
“Exactly. Thanks for sticking around to make sure I was okay.”
“I couldn’t, I was laughing too hard,” she said.
“I know, I heard you all the way in the kitchen,” he said. “It’s about time for me to fire you again.”
“Let another woman touch my knives, and I’ll cut you,” she warned.
Her tone was joking, but he wondered if she was having similar thoughts to his about their precarious position and a possible replacement for her. “No one’s touching your knives,” he assured her, reaching out to clasp her hand.
She stared out the window, not answering. He both wanted to know and didn’t want to know what she thought. They pulled into the driveway, and she turned to face him, smiling. “Thanks for today. It was fun.”
“You’re the one who arranged it,” he said.
“You know what I mean. You went over and above with my family, and I appreciate it. A lot. It’s possible you got my mom to actually understand the impossible situation with Aaron, and that means more than you could know.” She leaned over the divider and kissed his cheek. She would have pulled away, but his hand reached out, holding her back.
“Paley,” he whispered. She froze, hovering uncomfortably over the divider, when a new car pulled in behind them. Paley tensed, and so did he, but for vastly different reasons. Paley didn’t know who the newcomer was, but Piedmont did. They stepped out of the car at the same time as the new arrival. He was tall and well dressed, but Paley somehow thought the suit was an odd fit for him. He seemed like the kind of guy who would be more comfortable in a uniform, possibly a cop or soldier.
“Piedmont,” he said, extending his hand to shake.
“Cameron,” Piedmont replied, returning the shake. “This is Paley. Paley, this is Amelia’s brother-in-law, Cameron Ridge.”
“How do you do,” Cameron said, extending his hand to Paley. She shook it with a wary smile. Was he there to tell on her, to warn her away from ever contacting Amelia again? Piedmont still didn’t know about her subversive salon visit. If he did, he’d likely feel angry, possibly betrayed. She thought she caught a twinkle of amusement in Cameron’s eyes, and she wondered if he knew what she thought. “Can I talk to you?” he asked Piedmont. In private was both unspoken and implied.
“I’ll make coffee and set out some cookies,” Paley volunteered, lightly touching Piedmont’s arm before disappearing inside the house.
“Congratulations, I didn’t know you were with someone,” Cameron said.
“She’s…I’m…thanks,” Piedmont said. “Come inside.” He led the way to the living room and sat down, Cameron following suit on the opposing couch. “How’s Maggie?”
“She’s well, thanks. I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m here.”
Piedmont decided to be honest. At one point he thought this man would be his brother-in-law, and he wasn’t exactly thrilled by the reminder that he wasn’t. “Yes.”
“A detective called me about your recent break in. He knew my family’s connection to you and wanted to give me a heads up.”
Piedmont’s stomach pitched and dropped. There could only be one reason for that, and it wasn’t good. “Go on,” he croaked.
“It was a professional hit, but thankfully he was intercepted before he got the job done. The equipment was sophisticated, and the guy has a suspected history of confirmed kills a mile long.”
“The Russians again?” Had it been retaliation for saving Amelia, whom they’d kidnapped a few months ago?
“No, there, uh, aren’t enough of them left alive to carry out such a venture,” Cameron said.
Piedmont winced. He knew the likelihood that Ethan had killed one or more of Amelia’s captors, but the certainty hadn’t been confirmed until now. “Who is it then?”
“We don’t know. I had my team go over everything and everyone you’re currently working on, and everyone is clean. That leads me to believe it’s some kind of retaliation for a former case. Any ideas?”
Piedmont wracked his brain. He’d won a lot of cases, made a lot of enemies. None of them had obvious ties to the mob, at least none he knew of. “No one comes to mind, but I’ll keep thinking about it.”
“Good, keep me informed. We’ll keep digging, too. I’ll let you know if we come up with anything.”
Paley made a timely return before the conversation dwindled to awkwardness. She served coffee and cookies and would have removed herself again, but Piedmont held her back.
“These cookies are amazing. My wife would flip,” Cameron noted. “She’s something of a cookie connoisseur.”
“Paley makes the best desserts I’ve ever tasted,” Piedmont said, resting his hand on her knee with a smile that looked a bit melancholy. Paley raised her eyes in question. He shook his head.
“I’ll send some for your wife,” Paley volunteered, ripping her eyes from Piedmont to focus on Cameron Ridge. Like Amelia’s husband, he was an intensely handsome man, the kind who exuded raw testosterone and protective manly instincts. The kind of man, she knew, who made Piedmont feel insecure, Piedmont with his kindness, care, compassion, and ridiculous intelligence. A man who’d achieved more in his short life than most people in a lifetime felt somehow less because he couldn’t throw a punch as well as the man now sitting before them. She rested her hand on Piedmont’s leg and gave it a reassuring squeeze. If she had the choice between an Ethan, a Cameron, and a Piedmont, she would always choose Piedmont with the gentle eyes and sweet smile, the goofy sense of humor and genius IQ.
She disappeared to the kitchen and returned a minute later with a plate of wrapped cookies for Cameron to take home to his wife.
“Don’t be surprised if she calls you and asks for more,” Cameron warned.
“Anytime,” Paley said and meant it. She had nothing against this man or his wife, and she knew Piedmont didn’t either, regardless of the bad breakup looming between them.
“Thank you,” Cameron said. “Piedmont, keep me informed, and I’ll do the same.”
“Absolutely,” Piedmont agreed, shaking hands again. He and Paley stood at the door together and saw Cameron out, his arm resting on her shoulder as if they were lord and lady of the manor together instead of employer and housekeeper. Long after Cameron was gone, Piedmont remained staring dully through the door. He’d done it again. Somehow his job had put someone he cared about in danger. How did it happen, and how could he stand it?
“Piedmont,” Paley said at last, placing a feather soft hand on his side.
He jumped nonetheless and looked at her. “I think you should move back in with your parents for a while.”